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an Askeladden story

Sound recording, story; a Norwegian wonder tale and Askeladden story told by Abbi Patrix, at The Crick Crack Club at The Old Farm House Pub, Kentsh Town, London, 28th February 1991.

A story told by Abbi Patrix accompanying himself on an African thumb piano. Askeladden, the Ash Lad, has two brothers, Peter and Paul who mistreat him. When their parents die, Peter and Paul leave Askeladden and join a farm were they take care of the horses. Askeladden follows and gets a job in the kitchen of the same farm. The brothers spin a story to the King about their brother and Askeladden is sent on a journey by the King to steal the ducks from the pond of a troll. Askeladden succeeds and is rewarded by the King. The brothers spin another story to the King and Askeladden is sent to fetch a silver and gold blanket from the bed of the troll. Again Askeladden succeeds and is rewarded by the King. The brothers spin a third story and Askeladden is sent to fetch a magical instrument from the troll's house. Askeladden reaches the troll's house and is captured. He uses a candle, a piece of burnt wood and a nail, collected on his journey, to trick the trolls into not eating him, and into eating one of the troll's own daughters. Askeladden succeeds in stealing the troll's magical instrument and returns to the King, where he is rewarded with the King's daughter's hand in marriage. The story is followed by a break for an interval announced by Ben Haggarty.

Programme note reads - The Magnificent French storyteller, Abbi Patrix, presents an informal evening of Norwegian Folk and Wonder Tales. Unmissable.

audience:- adult
    recording quality
condition:- good
completeness:- complete
duration:- 0 hours, 26 minutes, 52 seconds

This is one of a series of recordings made by Marc Jobst to create a pilot of a series of radio programmes entitled Cracking Tales for broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Pilots were made, but the programme was never broadcast.

The Crick Crack Club was founded by Ben Haggarty in 1987 and was the first regular performance storytelling club to be established in the UK. From the outset, the club operated with a programme of storytellers put in place by an artistic director, Ben Haggarty. It had no 'floor spots' whereby anyone had the opportunity to tell stories. The club was created in response to a recognised need for there to be sufficient UK storytellers to perform competent, formal evening shows for adult audiences in the proposed 1989, 15 day long, Third International Storytelling Festival at London's South Bank Centre. In the autumn of 1987 the first season of 26 weekly Crick Crack Club events was launched in a pub theatre (The Chair) in Ladbrook Grove, with the expressed aim of trying out new artists and providing an opportunity for established artists to develop their skills and repertoire for adults. Jenny Pearson of the Kew Storytellers helped Ben Haggarty with the organisation of this first season.The Crick Crack Club promoted weekly events in various venues in London between 1987 and 1995, and then monthly events at the Spitz from 1995 to 2001. During this time it also organised numerous monthly events and mini-festivals in regional arts venues throughout England. In 1991/92 wth £10,000 from the Arts Council Literature department it tried to establish a touring circuit promoting 120 events in a year. Daniel Morden gave invaluable administrative support during this period. In 1993, in partnership with David Ambrose of St. Donats Arts Centre in Wales, the Crick Crack Club Club created the Beyond the Border International Festival of Storytelling and Epic Singing. Ben Haggarty co-directed Beyond the Border from 1993 to 2005. Since 2001 the Crick Crack Club has worked on a peripatetic basis, programming in various venues and in partnership with various organisations, and in 2003 began a long-term partnership with Barbican Education in London, to promote 9 events a year in the Barbican Pit Theatre

storytelling:- storyteller: Abbi Patrix
male / French / Norwegian

storytelling:- Master of Ceremonies; Crick Crack Club Artistic Director: Ben Haggarty
male / British / born 30.11.1958 / occupation performance storyteller; promoter

origin:- Norway Scandinavia


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Crick Crack Club season flyer and event listing

Click to enlarge images


use:- BBC Radio 4
Marc Jobst

radio broadcast pilot


administration & programming:- administrator; programmer: The Crick Crack Club
administrator; programmer; Artistic Director: Ben Haggarty


storytelling:- Kentish Town, London, England: The Old Farm House Pub
28 Feb 1991
storytelling club: The Crick Crack Club
public performance
radio production


gift from:- Marc Jobst


©  The London Centre for International Storytelling: 2007
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